Metallic scraper-mat.



S. O. GARY.

METALLIC SGRAPER MAT.

111110111011 11121) FEBJB, 1914.

1 1 23,0M. Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

SPENCER C. CARY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

METALLIC SGRAPER-MAT.

ianne i.

Application filed February 18, 1914.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, SPENCER C. CARY, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Metallic Scraper-Mat, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is a door mat, and it pertains, more particularly, to a mat composed wholly of metal and designed for use on porches, stoops and similar places for the purpose of removing the dirt and mud which adheres to the shoes of pedestrians.

The mat of my invention is composed, mainly, of sheet metal and upstanding ribs of such form as to secure the important advantage of effective scraping surfaces, said ribs being braced or stayed for sustaining the weight of a person standing thereon so that the ribs Will not bend or crush down from ordinary service. The mat is free from slots or openings, 2'. e. the metal sheet is imperforate, and the ribs produce channels extending in one direction, whereby the mud and dirt scraped from the shoes are collected in the channels and retained upon the top surface of the mat. It is apparent that the scrapings cannot lodge upon and soil the stoop, porch, etc, but when it is desired to clean the mat, the latter is carried oil the stoop and is then brushed or swept clean, it being possible to easily remove the scrapings by working the brush Within, and moving it in the direction of the length of the channels.

The sheet metal is reinforced by stay strips fastened to the underside thereof, said strips operating to impart stiffness and rigidity to the metal and securing an important advantage from a commercial standpoint, 2'. e. the employment of relatively thin sheet metal in the manufacture of the mat, thus resulting in marked economy. The mat thus reinforced is not flexible to any considerable extent, for the reason that such flexibility is not a desirable feature in a device of this character, but at the same time there is an inherent pliabilityin the reinforced metal which enables it to conform to, and to lie flat upon, the surface of the stoop, etc.

A further feature of the invention is a scraper positioned in a channel of the mat and in contact with two adjacent ribs thereof, the efiective edge of said. scraper being Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

Serial No. 819,303.

above the scraping edges of the ribs. It is preferred to employ a scraper at each side edge of the mat, or at any desired location, and to impart to the scraper such form that its edge is most effective in removing mud etc. which adheres to the instep portions of the shoes, or along the edges of the soles, etc.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following cletailed description.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a metal mat embodying this invention. Fig. 2 is an end view, partly broken away, illustrating the form of the mat in cross section. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of a scraper removed from the mat.

The mat A is composed of a single sheet of metal which is formed and shaped by the operation of a press to produce a series of parallel ribs B B B The ribs B are positioned at the respective sides of the mat, each rib consisting of a vertical wall I) and an inclined wall 6. The ribs B B intermed ate the side ribs B are disposed in pairs. The rib B con ists of a vertical wall 0 and an inclined wall 0, whereas the o her rib of the pair embodies a vertical wall (Z and an inclined wall cl. a peculiaritv of the ribs being that the inclined walls 0 (Z are inclined oppositelv to each other and in facing relati on, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, wherebv the ribs B B of each pair are substantiallv Wishaped in cross section. The form of the ribs B B B is such that thev are adapted to be bent bv the operation of a die in a press so that the entire sheet can be bent or folded upon itself to produce the ribs at one operation. thus simplifving the procedure and effecting economv in the manufacture of the article. The ribs extend upwardlv for a suitable height above the plane of the base formed bv the sheet A, the top edges of said ribs constituting scraping edges against which the shoe is adapted to be d awn for the purpose of removing mud or dirt from said shoe. The ribs B B of each pair produce V-shaped channels by reason of the opposite inclination of the walls 0 (Z of said ribs, but other channels are provided in the upper surface of the mat. said other channels being formed bv and between the vertical walls 0 (Z of adiacent ribs. and said last mentioned channels being substantially rectangular in cross section.

It will be noted that each rib consists of a vertical wall and an inclined wall thereby securing a two-fold function. First, the form of the rib enables the metal to be bent with facility, and, second, the inclined side of the rib acts as a strut or stay so that the rib is very strong whereby the rib is adapted to sustain the weight of a person standing on the mat without a tendency of the rib to crush or break down under the weight imposed thereon. This is a most important advantage, adding greatly to the durability and stability of the mat even when composed of comparatively thin metal. The ribs 13 at the respective sides of the mat are somewhat higher than the ribs B B intermediate said side ribs. This construction is obtained by extending the wall Z) of the side ribs B somewhat higher than the corresponding walls 0 d of the intermediate ribs. Furthermore, the inclined wall 6 of each side rib slopes downwardly at a different angle of inclination from the inclined walls a d of the intermediate ribs, and thus the side ribs are given such a form as to preclude them from bending under the weight imposed upon the mat, and said side ribs are adapted to operate on parts of a boot or shoe which may not be affected by scraping the same across the ribs B B.

The mat is produced from a single sheet of metal of relatively thin gage in order to obtain economy of manufacture, but to impart the necessary rigidity and stability to the mat I employ a series of stays C, the latter being composed of pieces of metal which are relatively thicker and heavier than the sheet metal body of said mat. These reinforcing strips or stays are positioned in contact with the under surface of the mat, they are spaced at suitable intervals along the mat, and they are fastened securely to the mat by any suitable means. The reinforcing strips extend across the channels on the under surface of the mat, andthe flat metal portions composing the base of the mat, as well as the lower corners formed by the inclined walls 0 d are in contact with these stays C, whereby the lat ter operate efliciently in imparting strength and rigidity to the sheet metal structure. The stays are adapted to be fastened in any suitable way to the sheet metal. As shown, rivets e are employed at suitable intervals for obtaining the rigid connection between the sheet metal and the stay strips, but it is evident that other fastening means may be employed. I may electrically weld the sheet metal and the stay strips together in the usual manner of electrically welding, and it may be stated that this is a preferred mode or means of effecting the rigid connection between the sheet metal and the stay strips constituting the elements of my new metal mat.

The inclined walls I) of the side ribs B extend downwardly to and rest upon the respective end portions of the stay strips C, and these extended end portions 6 of the side ribs may be, and preferably are, attached to said stay strips in the usual or any desired way, although it may be considered preferable to leave the edges of the inclined walls 6 free or unconfined.

The metal mat composed of sheet metal and stay strips, as herein described, can be manufactured rapidly and economically, for the reason that the entire piece of sheet metal is ribbed and channeled at one opera tion in a suitable press and thereafter the stay strips and the metal sheet are united so as to produce the unitary structure, after which the entire metal mat may be galvanized or treated in any suitable manner so as to render the metal non-corrosive, thus increasing the durability of the mat and imparting the desired finish thereto.

The mat is provided with channeled scrapers D, one of'said scrapers being positioned at each end edge of the mat, as shown in Fig. 1. The scraper D consists of a base piece f, members 9 g integral with the base member and parallel to each other so as to produce the longitudinal channel. The side members 9 g of the channeled scraper are somewhat higher than the vertical walls of the ribs, and at the ends of each side member g or g lugs or ears 72. are formed thereon, which lugs or ears extend upwardly from the side members and are positioned at the respective ends of the channeled scraper. The scraper is fitted between the parallel walls 0 d of the intermediate ribs 13 B, said scraper being fastened rigidly in place by suitable means, such as the rivets z. The scraper is composed of a single piece of metal which may be either cast or bent from a suitably shaped blank. The scraper is positioned between the ribs so as to be reinforced laterally thereby, and the side.

members g g of the scraper extend for suitable distances above the ribs, as shown more clearly in Fig. 2, whereby the scraper presents edges above the horizontal plane of the effective scraping edges of the ribs B B B Of course, any desired number of these scrapers may be employed and they may be positioned variously on the channeled mat, but experience shows that two of the scrapers aresufiicient for all practical purposes. The form of the scrapers D is such that the edges 9 g or the lugs k are valualile in cleaning the instep portion of the shoe or around the sole of the shoe, whereby the mat is adapted for the removal of mud and dirt from any and all portions of a shoe.

It will be observed that the mat is imperforate, 11.6. it is entirely free from slots or openings of any form. Accordingly, the material removed from the boots or shoes will be collected upon the upper surface of the mat, and when it is desired to clean the mat it is removed from the porch or stoop, whereupon a brush or broom may be used in cleaning out the accumulations of mud or dirt within the channels of the mat. The mat is substantially rigid and unfiexible owing to the employment of the rigid stay strips attached to the under side thereof.

The stay strips of my mat perform important functions for the reasons that they reinforce the sheet metal to a substantial eX- tent so as to render the mat durable in service, and the series of said strips constitute a bed or base for the sheet metal. The series of stays are adapted to contact directly with the surface of a stoop, porch, etc., so that the mat will conform or adapt itself to such slight irregularities in the surface as are consequent upon warping of the boards, or from other causes. The employment of the stay strips thus secures important advantages,

. 2'. e. the mat rests firmly upon the stoop, etc.,

and the metal of the sheet will not bend or buckle so as to result in distortion of the mat.

Having thus fully described the invention,

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A mat of the class described embodying a single continuous sheet of metal folded at intervals to provide upstanding ribs, each rib consisting of a vertical wall and an inclined wall, the inclined walls of adjacent ribs being in opposing relation and producing a channel substantially [Vi-shaped in cross section.

2. A mat of the class described embodying a sheet of metal folded upon itself to produce parallel ribs each consisting of a vertical wall and an inclined wall, with the inclined walls of adjacent ribs in opposing relation and result-ing in channels substantially lWshaped in cross section, and stay members fastened to the under side of the sheet metal, the lower edges of the inclined walls of said ribs being in contact with the stay members.

3. A mat of the class described embodying a sheet of metal folded upon itself to produce parallel ribs each consisting of a vertical wall and an inclined Wall, with the inclined walls of adjacent ribs in opposing relation and resulting in channels substantially Fifi-shaped in cross section, and stay members fastened to the under side of the sheet metal, the ribs at the respective side edges of the sheet metal being somewhat higher than the intermediate ribs, and each side rib being provided with an inclined wall sloping down to the stay members.

4. A mat of the class described embodying a sheet of metal folded upon itself to produce parallel scraping ribs forming intermediate channels. and a scraper separate from the sheet metal and attached thereto, said scraper being positioned within a channel formed between two of said ribs and the effective edge of the scraper being in a plane above the scraping edge of said ribs.

5. A mat of the class described embodying a sheet of metal folded upon itself to produce parallel scraping ribs forming intermediate channels, and a channeled scraper provided at its end portions with lugs extending upwardly from the scraping edge, said scraper being positioned partly within a channel of the sheet metal and arranged for the efiective edge of said scraper to lie above the plane of the scraping edges of said ribs.

6. A mat of the class described embodying a channeled and ribbed sheet of metal, and a separate scraper fastened to the sheet metal and positioned for the effective edge of said scraper to lie above the scraping edges of the ribs on said sheet.

7. A mat of the class described embodying a sheet of metal doubled upon itself at intervals and producing upstanding ribs separated at appreciable intervals from each other, the metal of the sheet intermediate said ribs being bent to form webs all of which are in substantially the same transverse plane, and stay members in contact with said webs of the sheet, said sheet and stay members being united firmly together.

8. A mat of the class described comprising a metal sheet folded at intervals to form a series of upstanding ribs, the respective side edges of the sheet being bent to form scraping ribs the height of which exceeds that of the upstanding ribs intermediate said scraping ribs, the effective edges of said scraping ribs being in a plane above the corresponding edges of the intermediate rlbs, and stay members positioned below the sheet and attached to said sheet and to the scraping ribs at the respective sides thereof.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SPENCER C. GARY.

Witnesses H. I. BERNHARD, M. G. RODRIGUEZ.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington. D. C. 

